The people’s preferences prevailed Saturday night, with Resolve (Ake Svanstedt, $6.20) and Somewhere In L A (Jason Bartlett, $3.80) winning Yonkers Raceway’s $55,000 co-featured Open Handicaps.
Double-millionaire Resolve showed no ill effects from his sojourn to Solvalla. Returning to the scene of a Yonkers International Trot world record last October, he proved as proficient at eight furlongs as he did at 10.
Resolve, from post position No. 7 (in one notch after a defection), worked around Gural Hanover (George Brennan), then finished it off (:28.1, :58, 1:26.4, 1:54.3). Gural Hanover eventually broke in the pocket, while Obrigado (Mark MacDonald) chased after ducking in third.
Resolve held sway, beating Obrigado by a length. Springbank Sam N (Jordan Stratton) was a best-of-the-rest third, while Money Maven (Eric Goodell) and Meladys Monet (Bartlett) were both moved up, respectively. Gural Hanover was set down from fourth to seventh for his transgressions.
For Resolve, a six-year-old son of Muscle Hill trained by his driver for owner Hans Enggren, the win was his second in four seasonal starts. The exacta paid $20.20, with the triple returning $99.
Saturday night’s Open Handicap Pace was nary more than a public workout for Somewhere In L A. From post No. 7, he threw down the gauntlet (:27, :56.1, 1:24.2, 1:52.1) to defeat a closing Bit Of A Legend N (Stratton) by a couple of lengths. Dream Out Loud N (Shaun Vallee) skimmed the cones for third as the 81-1 rank outsider, with a tiring-pocket Somewhere Fancy (Dan Dube) and Clear Vision (Brennan) settling for the remainder.
For ‘L A,’ a six-year-old Somebeachsomewhere gelding co-owned by D’Elegance Stable IX, Carmen Iannacone, T L P and Gandolfo Stables, the win was his eighth in 19 ’17 tries. The exacta (two wagering choices) paid $7.80, the triple returned $75.50 and the superfecta paid $258.80.
The featured pace win was one of a half-dozen for Bartlett during the dozen-race card.
Special salutations to Americanprimetime (Brennan, $4), who drilled the $40,000 Preferred Handicap Pace in 1:51, fastest local mile of the season.
(Yonkers Raceway)